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Google has added Cisco to the list of tech companies with which it has struck a long-term patent cross-licensing agreement.

The deal covers "a broad range of products and technologies," the companies said in a news release, and helps reduce the risk of future litigation.

It is the third patent cross-licensing agreement Google has announced recently.

On Jan. 26, it struck a global patent cross-license agreement with Samsung that covered the companies' existing and future patents over the next 10 years.

A day later on Jan. 27, Google said it had also inked a similar deal with Ericsson. That agreement included global patent cross licensing of cellular technologies and ended all ongoing patent disputes between the companies.

Google said in today's release that it welcomed discussions with any company interested in striking a similar cross-license agreement.

Loek is Amsterdam Correspondent and covers online privacy, intellectual property, open-source and online payment issues for the IDG News Service. Follow him on Twitter at @loekessers or email tips and comments to loek_essers@idg.com